Thursday, November 30, 2006

Kosovo: Entering The Home Stretch By Patrick MooreRFE/RL -- News Analysis (RFE/RL)PRAGUE, November 28, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- The international community has put off settling Kosovo's final status until shortly after the Serbian elections slated for January 21, 2007. But the delay seems unlikely to affect the outcome, which will in all probability be a conditional independence.By late 2005, the leadership of the UN, at the recommendation of special envoy Kai Eide, concluded that leaving Kosovo's political status unresolved had become a major source of problems for the province and the region as a whole.The continuing uncertainty had already played a role in the triggering and spread of violence among some of the ethnic Albanian majority in March 2004 and remained a potential source of future unrest.The lack of clarity also discouraged the investment necessary to deal with large-scale unemployment and jump-start the economy among people who have often displayed sharp business acumen when provided with a clear legal framework, as Kosovars have done in countries like Croatia, Switzerland, or Germany. more...

Kosovo PM tries to win Russia over on independenceReuters AlertNet -2 hours agoBy James Kilner. MOSCOW, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku courted the Russian government on Thursday to persuade them to drop their resistance to independence for Kosovo, Serbia's province with a predominantly Albanian population.

PPC With Contour Global And Enel Express Interest For Kosovo ...Energy.gr -6 hours agoSENCAP, an affiliated company of Public Power Corp and ContourGlobal along with Italy’s Enel SpA expressed interest for the development a new lignite facility in Kosovo with an estimated installed capacity of 2,100 MW, PPC said on Thursday.

Albania to lift customs duties with EU tomorrowAlbanian Economy News -4 hours agoTirana, Nov. 30, 2006 - Deputy Minister of Finance Florion Mima said yesterday that Albanian customs system was committed to implementing a free trade regime with the European Union countries entering into force as of tomorrow.

Bulgaria Changes Definition of ForeignerSofia News Agency -1 hour agoBulgaria: The citizens of the EU and Switzerland will no longer be considered foreigners in Bulgaria, the parliament decided Thursday.

Rehn: Croatia to Join EU by 2010Sofia News Agency -2 hours agoCroatia: EU enlargement chief said that Croatia should enter the bloc by the end of the decade, but warned the country that hard work lies ahead.